BGA: The Expendables Update #4

Every year, teams have to let some players go. Even though the Jets brought back Sione Po'uha, Bryan Thomas and Nick Folk, they chose not to bring everyone back. During preseason, I kept track of the progress on the guys who left so we could at least start to form some views on whether letting any of these guys loose was a mistake or a smart move. Now that the season is over, we can finally assess whether bringing any of these guys back would have made a difference this season.

This is the final update of the year and also acts as a primer in case you want to check on the progress of some of the guys whose new teams are still alive in the postseason. If you missed the first three updates, go here, here and here.

After the jump, all of the details from the season so far for each of the ex-Jets contributing elsewhere.

In no particular order...

Jim Leonhard - Safety, Broncos

After a slow start to the year, Leonhard settled into his role as the Broncos' third safety, usually operating in deep center field. He was rarely matched up against a receiver in man-to-man coverage so he was only targeted directly seven times all year (in 271 snaps), giving up five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. He did intercept two errant passes, both against San Diego. He ended the year with 12 tackles and just one missed tackle and the 17th best PFF coverage grade for safeties, despite playing fewer than 25% of the snaps.

Where the Jets may have missed him more is as a punt returner. Jeremy Kerley had a 68-yard touchdown in week one, but from that point onwards caught 55 punts and amassed just 140 yards. Leonhard's numbers were not that much better, as he caught 31 punts and returned them for a total of 89 yards, but even though he made a fair catch over 50% of the time, this was still significantly less than Kerley (65.5%). Leonhard did have one uncharacteristic fumble though and of course was beaten for a key first down in the playoff game yesterday.

Robert Turner, Center, St. Louis

Turner ended up playing every snap this year for the Rams, starting seven games at left guard and nine at center. His performances in those nine games were enough to give him the best pass blocking efficiency rating in the NFL for centers, as he gave up just one hit and two pressures. At guard, he struggled a bit more giving up a sack, two hits and eight pressures and grading out well below Matt Slauson and Vladimir Ducasse, so the Jets' contention that he couldn't play guard for them may just have been right.

Turner's run blocking was up and down when he was at center, but he struggled more consistently when moved back to guard. Overall, his performance solidifies him as a starter-level player and he heads into unrestricted free agency where Team Revis will presumably be looking to secure him a deal earning more than the minimum with a chance to start somewhere at center.

Wayne Hunter, Offensive Tackle, St. Louis

Earlier in the season, Hunter was called upon to start four games at left tackle following an injury to Roger Saffold. He came in and did a pretty good job, featuring consistent pass protection and some of the best run blocking we've ever seen from him, but then started suffering with a back injury. He headed back to the bench after a rough game in week six saw him give up three sacks. Over the last ten games, he moved back into a utility role and only featured on 20 snaps.

It's obvious that Hunter was never going to rebuild his shattered confidence with the Jets, so it was probably best for both teams that the Smith/Hunter swap went ahead. It's not really fair to compare their numbers, because Smith was only ever used as an extra tight end. However, both teams were likely pleased with what they would consider to be an upgrade.

Brian Schottenheimer, Offensive Co-ordinator, St. Louis

While the Rams offense ended up down near the bottom in most offensive categories, they did improve towards the end of the season to finish 23rd in total offense. The Jets were 30th. The Rams also ranked 17th in turnover differential and had the 18th best passing game despite dealing with plenty of injuries and an even worse supporting cast than the Jets.

Most importantly of all, Schottenheimer has finally got that "every quarterback who leaves Schottenheimer goes on to have a career year" monkey off his back. Sam Bradford had a career year for the Rams and Mark Sanchez obviously regressed. Like Hunter, Schottenheimer was unlikely ever to find redemption with the Jets, but those who were suggesting he'd never work in the NFL again were jumping the gun. A solid 2013 campaign on offense for the Rams will likely see Schottenheimer back in the discussion as a head coaching candidate once again. That's if he doesn't get the Jags job, where he's reputedly already been offered an interview.

Matt Mulligan, Tight End, St. Louis

Mulligan is a guy who usually graded out well as a blocker. However, it was his maddening mental errors that made him an unpopular figure with Jets fans. This year, he has certainly cut down on some of those errors, with only two penalties being called on him all year. He ended the year ranked 12th in PFF's rankings for run blocking tight ends. No Jets player ranked in the top 90, unless you include Dedrick Epps and Hayden Smith who had a neutral grade by virtue of the fact they hardly played.

Mulligan also caught eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, with no drops. That touchdown proved to be the winning score in the week two clash with the Redskins, a game in which he also blocked a punt.

Braylon Edwards, Wide Receiver, Seattle/NY Jets

Edwards is a curious case. He wasn't actually with the Jets last year, but we were including him anyway on the basis that he barely played last season and had been linked with a return here. Later in the season, the Jets did of course sign Edwards and he did a solid job. It also emerged that they had made a move for him at the trade deadline. Hopefully he will return next season and can remain healthy.

With Seattle, he caught five passes on opening day, but then dropped a potential game winning touchdown and only had three more catches for 31 yards over the next 11 weeks due to a combination of injuries and a lack of playing time. He did have a touchdown in his final game for the Seahawks, only for it to be overturned by the replay booth. If you were to extrapolate his stats over the final three games with the Jets over a whole season, you'd end up with 59 catches and 667 yards. I think the Jets would happily settle for numbers close to that next year, as long as he is prepared to re-sign for the minimum or close to it.

Marquice Cole, DB, New England

Cole hasn't played much this year, operating mainly as the fourth cornerback and a special teamer. 60% of his 199 snaps this year came in just two games - the Bills game in week 10 (after which they traded for Aqib Talib, shunting him further down the depth chart) and the Jags game in week 16, which was his only start. During that game, he injured his finger, but returned to practice yesterday and should be okay for the playoffs. Earlier in the year, he was dealing with some hamstring issues.

In that Jags game, he struggled slightly in coverage, giving up six catches on eight targets, including a 36-yarder, but he did intercept a pass and made some good plays in run support. Prior to the Jags game, he had only given up five catches for 56 yards on 14 targets. He finishes the season with 14 tackles (including five on special teams) and three missed tackles. The Jets have pretty good depth at cornerback, so they didn't really miss Cole this year. While he might have helped out on special teams, the issues there were probably more to do with the constant changes in personnel groupings due to injuries.

Ropati Pitoitua, DE, Kansas City

Pitoitua had a solid season in his first year with the Chiefs, playing over 500 snaps - more than the rest of his career combined - as he racked up 41 tackles and 10 starts. His pass rushing was a big disappointment as he end up with just two QB hits and no sacks or pressures over the last 12 games. In week four, he had recorded two sacks, but that proved to be the only game where he registered a sack all year.

Still, he managed to prove himself as a solid NFL rotational player, who can still do good things against the run, as he did against the Broncos in week 17 with a goal line stuff. Would he have helped the Jets this year? Hindsight being 20:20 maybe he would perhaps have been useful while Ellis and Po'uha were both injured, but then again, they were able to plug in Dan Muir for a couple of weeks without really missing a beat.

Terrance Ganaway, RB, St. Louis

The Jets had hoped to stash Ganaway on their practice squad this year, perhaps activating him later in the year with a view towards a role next season. However, the Rams picked him up and stashed him on their active roster instead - an option that wasn't really open to the Jets with all their injuries. Ganaway was active just three times all year and featured on just five offensive plays. He did not touch the ball.

Jamaal Westerman, DE, Arizona/Indianapolis

Just when it looked like Westerman's NFL career might be over after he was waived by the Cardinals - having seen just two snaps of action and played five games as a special teamer - he was picked up by the Colts and might get a chance to contribute in the postseason. He only played 21 snaps in four games for the Colts, but did record a sack in week 17 and three special teams tackles in week 16. He only played four snaps in the playoff loss to the Ravens, though.

Plaxico Burress, WR, Pittsburgh

Burress remained on the shelf until late in the season when he joined the Steelers. He only played 34 snaps, but did score his first touchdown in week 17 against the Bengals. He ends the season with three catches for 42 yards on seven targets, but did also draw at least one pass interference penalty on a fade route, so that's perhaps somewhere he's still capable of being a threat.

Jonathan Grimes, RB, Houston Texans/Jacksonville

The Jets let Grimes go and the Texans, who had him on their practice squad earlier in the year, picked him back up again for their active roster. However, they did not use him on offense at all and after six games, they let him go too. The Jags picked him up in time for the last game, but he did not see action. They will presumably look to give him a shot next year.

Martin Tevaseu, DT, Indianapolis Colts

Tevaseu has been playing as a backup nose tackle all year with the Colts. He ended up participating on 224 snaps in 13 games, starting the last two. He had a minimal impact (13 tackles, one pressure), although he did have a good game against Jacksonville earlier in the year and didn't have any serious negative plays all year.

Like Pitoitua (and Marcus Dixon), Tevaseu's impact had he remained with the Jets would likely have been limited. He only played nine snaps in the Colts' playof game last week.

Hayworth Hicks, OL, Kansas City/Tampa Bay/Carolina

The Jets signed Hicks off the Colts practice squad and then waived him three weeks later in an effort to sneak him onto their practice squad. Unfortunately, the Chiefs swooped in and took him for themselves. They let him go one week later and the Bucs picked him up, only to also release him one week later. He ended up getting signed by the Panthers in week 16, his fifth team of the season, although he never took the field for any of them.

John Conner, FB, Cincinnati

Finally, John Conner represents the fifth of our Expendables to see action in the postseason. He played just three games with the Jets this year before being released and was picked up by the Bengals with two games to go in the season. He played 24 snaps in those two games, but did not fare well as a run blocker. They threw him one pass too, but that was incomplete. The Jets grew impatient with Conner's slow development curve but he was always inconsistent rather than plain bad, so perhaps the Bengals will be able to harness that and get some kind of production from him. He only played five snaps in their playoff defeat last week, but is under contract for next year.

That's it for the Expendables this season. Stay tuned though, because I'm also going to do an Expendables draft special where I will look at how some of the players the Jets could have drafted in April fared in their rookie year. Next year's Expendables should be very interesting with a huge roster turnover anticipated and many tough decisions to come. Will any of the Jets so-called poor talent be able to catch on elsewhere?

Jets re-sign DL Xavier Cooper for 2018 season

8:14PM

Cooper began the 2017 season with the 49ers before becoming cut in late October. The Jets scooped him up on Halloween, and he ended up playing eight games, totaling 10 tackles and one sack in the process.

The 26-year-old filled in during Muhammad Wilkerson's suspenion, and impressed as a fill-in. He will likely be vying for a depth role on the defensive front as well this season.

Could the Jets fill some of their needs via trade?

By Bent | 7:43PM

Now that the first and second waves of free agency are winding down, NFL teams are fairly limited in their options. There may still be upgrades available, but most players still on the market are damaged goods in one way or another.

However, with plenty of cap space still remaining and, let's face it, several positions at which they could still upgrade, perhaps the Jets are in a position whereby they could explore the trade market instead.

The Jets just gave up three second-round picks to move up in the draft, probably taking them out of contention if a star player like Dez Bryant became available. Perhaps they could trade for someone without reducing their total number of picks by way of a pick exchange or even deal a veteran player from a position of strength. Would they be prepared to trade Bilal Powell, Jermaine Kearse or one of their young backup receivers or cornerbacks?

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Daily News Live: Which QB will the Jets pursue?

6:16PM

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Forecasting the NFL Draft00:05:05

Ralph Vacchiano joins Daily News Live to discuss which quarterback the Jets might take with their No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

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Bridgewater excited to be a part of 'ambitious' Jets team

4:00PM

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(Brad Rempel)

The Jets' newest QB Teddy Bridgewater can't wait to be a part of what his new team is building.

The 25-year-old made his move to the Jets official on Sunday when he signed a one-year, $6 million deal that has $9 million in incentives tied to it. He becomes another young asset for the Jets, and he couldn't be any happier to try and revitalize his career in this environment.

"I'm excited about the direction we're headed in," Bridgewater told Jets.com's Ethan Greenberg. "I'm excited to be a part of something that can be very special and I just look forward to getting to work with the guys and a great year."

Here is the most up-to-date information on whom the Jets have added and lost during free agency, including contract details and salary cap information. The official signing period begins Wednesday at 4 p.m., so be sure to bookmark this page and check back for frequent updates.

JETS SALARY CAP SPACE

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Jets could take shot on WR Terrelle Pryor

12:00PM

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(Brad Mills)

The Jets may be looking to bring in more offensive help as free-agent WR Terrelle Pryor is expected to visit the team on Tuesday, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirmed.

Pryor, who is currently meeting with the Seahawks Monday, will fly directly to the east coast for his meeting tomorrow.

He was a big free-agent target last offseason after producing a 1,000-yard season on 77 receptions with the Browns in 2016. He eventually signed a one-year, $6 million pact with the Redskins, but his production fell drastically due to injury.

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Jets missed out on dynamic offensive weapon in Jerick McKinnon

12:30PM

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The Jets made a solid offer, but it wasn't enough to land one a dynamic weapon in RB Jerick McKinnon this offseason.

McKinnon was high on the Jets' list of players they sought with their generous cap space this offseason, according to the Daily News' Manish Mehta. However, he eventually signed a four-year, $30 million deal with the 49ers that includes $12 million guaranteed for next season.

Like the Jets, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan understood how versatile McKinnon's skill set could be in his offense, which is why he made such a hard push for him. Jets' OC Jeremy Bates and run-game coordinator Rick Dennison both worked under Kyle's father, Mike Shanahan, so it isn't surprising a player like McKinnon was high on their radar.

What's next for the Jets this offseason?

Aug 12, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan reacts on the field before a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)

Armed with $90 million-plus in salary cap space and extra draft picks, Jets GM Mike Maccagnan has been a busy man the last few days. He's reshaped his roster, reset the quarterback position, and possibly put his franchise in contention for the next few years.

Mike Maccagnan makes legacy-defining trade: He better be right

Ernie Accorsi knew back in 2004 that he would always be remembered as the GM that brought Eli Manning to the Giants. Whether it worked out or not, that would be his legacy, regardless of everything else he accomplished in his career.

That's the way it now is for Mike Maccagnan. He began to define his legacy as the Jets GM with the bold trade he made on Saturday to ship three second-round picks to Indianapolis to move up from 6 to 3 in the NFL draft. And in less than six weeks, on April 26, he will further define it when he picks the player he expects will be the Jets' long-awaited franchise quarterback.

Now he just better be right...

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Maccagnan's bold trade aims to solve Jets QB quandary

Jets acquire no. 3 pick in draft from Colts

Nov 2, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan on the sidelines before a game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)

The Jets have spent years, even decades stuck in Quarterback Hell, in a never-ending search for an elusive franchise quarterback.

And Mike Maccagnan is serious about ending that run.

The Jets GM made the boldest move of his tenure on Saturday morning, making a stunning trade to move up even closer to the top of the 2018 NFL draft. He acquired the No. 3 overall pick from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the No. 6 overall pick, the Jets' two second-rounders (37th and 49th) and a second-rounder in 2019...

Tyrann Mathieu, a player on the Jets' radar, has agreed to a deal with the Texans, reports ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter is reporting the deal is worth one-year, $7 million for the Honey Badger.

The Jets were looking for some more help in their secondary, and even S Jamal Adams tried to recruit his LSU friend to New York.

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Daily News Live: Bowles, Maccagnan scour draft options at QB

Mar 16 | 6:51PM

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Jets aiming to draft a QB00:03:54

The Daily News Live panel discuss the Jets' quarterback options in this year's NFL Draft.

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Demario Davis surprised Jets 'didn't make me an offer'

Mar 16 | 10:30AM

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New York Jets inside linebacker Demario Davis against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. (Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports)

Former Jets linebacker Demario Davis said he felt surprised New York never made him an offer in free agency before he signed with the New Orleans Saints.

"The shocking thing was the Jets didn't make me an offer, so that made my decision easy because all I had to do was look at the contenders," Davis said, according to the New Orleans Advocare's Rod Walker. "It would have been something to weigh."

Jets re-sign CB Morris Claiborne to one-year deal

Mar 15 | 9:10PM

New York Jets cornerback Morris Claiborne breaks up a touchdown attempt to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry in the second half at MetLife Stadium. (Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports)

The Jets have re-signed CB Morris Claiborne to a one-year, $7 million deal, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano confirms. The news was first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Last season, Claiborne started and played in all but one of the Jets' games. The 28-year-old had one interception and eight passes defended, as well as 46 tackles. He was drafted 6th overall by the Cowboys in the 2012.

Claiborne returns to an improved secondary after the Jets signed CB Trumaine Johnson to a five-year, $72.5 million deal. Johnson is expected to be the team's no. 1 corner.

The Jets have signed K Cairo Santos, the team announced. The deal is one-year, according to SNY's Ralph Vacchiano.

Santos, 26, endured an injury-riddled 2017. He injured his groin in preseason, kicked the first three games for the Chiefs before being placed on IR and released in September. He signed with the Bears in November, kicked in two games then was placed on IR again after re-injuring his groin. Between the two teams, he made four of his five field goal attempts.

For the first three years of Santos' career, he converted 84.3 percent of his field goal attempts overall and was 7 for 12 from 50 yards or more. Santos replaces the outgoing Chandler Catanzaro, who signed with the Buccanneers.

Santos was born in Brazil and first learned of American football when he came to St. Augustine, Florida as an exchange student before playing college football at Tulane. He's the first Brazilian to play in the NFL.

Analyzing the Jets' free-agent additions so far

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater drops back to pass during the first half an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer) (Mike Roemer/AP)

The top priority for the Jets was absolutely clear: Find a franchise quarterback. End the decades-long search. That's why they went so hard after free agent Kirk Cousins.

But they couldn't sign him. And so their never-ending question at quarterback remains.

Though it's hardly their fault that Cousins chose a better situation in Minnesota over the future potential of the Jets, the quarterback situation still looms big over what has otherwise been an incredibly successful start to free agency for GM Mike Maccagnan and the Jets...

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Seferian-Jenkins signs two-year deal with Jaguars

The Jets had recently upped their offer to Seferian-Jenkins

Mar 15 | 4:35PM

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New York Jets tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins catches a touchdown pass during the second half of their game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. The play was overturned on review for failure to maintain possession of the ball. (Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports)

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins is leaving the Jets for the Jaguars, Seferian-Jenkins posted on Thursday while giving gratitude to the Jets. Seferian-Jenkins also visited with the Seahawks.

The deal is for two years and $10 million, and can be worth as much as $11 million, a source confirmed to SNY's Ralph Vacchiano.

The Jets increased their offer to Seferian-Jenkins Tuesday night, according to Vacchiano. The original offer was $8 million for two years, with not much guaranteed.

Which players could Jets target to fill remaining holes?

By Bent | Mar 15 | 3:30PM

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Nov 2, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan on the sidelines before a game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)

Bent, theJetsBlog.comFollow on Twitter: Now that the first wave of free agency is over, we can start to take stock of the outstanding needs for the Jets and potential ways to address these in free agency.

Defensive End

Mike Maccagnan downplayed the need for defensive line help following the departure of Muhammad Wilkerson, but the team probably still needs to add a starting-level player to replace him...

It became official on Tuesday afternoon when McCown re-signed with the Jets, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. The 38-year-old McCown returns on a one-year deal, according to an NFL source, that could pay him as much as $10 million.

The Jets officially announced the deal on Wednesday night.

And that is Part 2 of what SNY has reported is the Jets' Plan B at quarterback. Part 1 is signing 25-year-old Teddy Bridgewater -- and as SNY reported earlier on Tuesday, the Jets are currently engaged in contract talks with the soon-to-be-former Viking.

How does Avery Williamson fit in Jets' defensive system?

By Bent | Mar 14 | 12:00PM

Much of the attention surrounding the Jets' offseason moves so far has been centered around the quarterback position with the addition of Trumaine Johnson stealing most of the non-quarterback headlines. However, the Jets filled an important spot with the signing of former Titans linebacker Avery Williamson last night. Let's consider how well he fits into what the Jets typically like to do on defense.

On the face of it, this seems pretty straightforward; Williamson replaces Demario Davis as the team's Mike linebacker, and slides into his role. However, it might not be as simple as that.

Jets to sign Teddy Bridgewater on Wednesday

After the Jets missed out on quarterback Kirk Cousins, the team is set to sign Teddy Bridgewater and bring back Josh McCown.

The Jets' Plan B at quarterback now officially stands for (Teddy) Bridgewater.

With the quarterback that the Jets desired (Kirk Cousins) heading to Minnesota, the Jets quickly turned their attention to Bridgewater on Tuesday and they are now expecting to sign him when the free-agent signing period opens on Wednesday, according to an NFL source.

The Jet Stream: Reaction to Cousins signing with Vikings

Mar 13 | 3:00PM

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Jonas Schwartz and Willie Colon are back for another edition of The Jet Stream podcast, where they discuss missing out on Kirk Cousins and the possibility of signing Teddy Bridgewater. Later, the guys talk about where GM Mike Maccagnan should focus his attention as the free agency period starts.

Could RB Dion Lewis fit in Jets backfield?

Jets among teams showing interest in the Patriot

Mar 13 | 2:40PM

The Jets are looking to add some running back help. And if they can take a key player away from the New England Patriots, even better.

They'd accomplish both if they're able to sign free agent Dion Lewis, whom they are interested in according to an NFL source. The 27-year-old Lewis is one of the top backs on the market, and the Patriots are trying to lure him back too.